Marty + The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine

Although he had appeared on TV in the early 50s, it was his co-starring role alongside future Pythons John Cleese and Graham Chapman in At Last the 1948 Show (showing here in extracts) that was the real starting point of Feldman's acting career. He proved so popular that the BBC gave him his own series, Marty, in which he kept some of the sense of the surreal from 1948 but also developed his humour into something wholly his own. With The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine his humour was given an addition of showbiz glamour, with dancers, artists and international guests, partly to help it sell in the US. It is also notable for the animations by another Python, Terry Gilliam. In this programme from 1971 we see Marty and Spike Milligan joined by Orson Welles, with music by prog-rockers Colosseum.

Marty Feldman's long-time friend and collaborator Tim Brooke-Taylor will introduce the Feldman season at this first screening. (6.15, 1st June)